Everything You Should Know About Dental Fillings
March 15, 2023
North Miami Beach restorative dentistry includes dental fillings, crowns, dentures, and implants. Dentists create fillings using materials like porcelain, composite resins, and even gold. The substance serves as a patch to cover a dental cavity.
Dental fillings strengthen your tooth, eliminate any pain, and stop additional decay. The composite tooth-colored filling is popular among patients. Because composite fillings are durable and harmonious with the rest of your smile, most dental professionals choose this restorative treatment.
Dental Filling: Its Type, How It Works, and How to Take Care of It
How Do Dental Fillings Work?
Cavities caused by oral acidity are repaired with dental fillings. It works like adding asphalt or cement on potholes in the road to address the unevenness. Additionally, they can be relied upon to restore teeth damaged by mistreatment or abuse, such as bruxism, tooth grinding, or nail biting.
Ultimately, your dentist will determine which filling is most appropriate for your particular circumstance or tooth problem. If fillings are insufficient to keep your tooth, they may additionally recommend placing crowns, bridges, or veneers.
Your dentist will first need to ascertain the extent and location of the decay (molars versus incisors and canines), the type and cost of the filling material that works best for you, the extent of your insurance coverage, and the kind of issue that needs to be fixed to determine the type of filling that is best for you. Remember that fillings cannot restore a tooth from a cavity that has destroyed so much dentin or enamel.
What Are the Types of Dental Filling Materials?
- Glass Ionomer
This filler is created from a particular kind of glass and acrylic. In young children, it is typically used as a below-the-gumline filling. Drilling is still necessary for optimal application. It is a filling that distributes fluoride into the tooth instead of mercury vapors, which helps shield it from further decay now that the cavity has spread to the tooth root area.
- Ceramic
Porcelain is used to make ceramic tooth-colored fillings. Compared to resin, they are known to be stain resistant.
Composite resin materials that can be reshaped and hardened with a specific light are also available in tooth-colored composites. It can easily mix in with the rest of the tooth.
- Silver Fillings (Amalgams)
An amalgam is a mixture of elements, including silver and mercury. However, this popular filler has been abandoned due to mercury toxicity concerns. Mercury is the base ingredient used to combine copper, zinc, tin, and silver.
How Should I Take Care of a Filling?
Fillings don't need to be handled differently. Continue brushing, flossing, and visiting the dental clinic for routine cleanings and examinations. Most dental fillings don't need to be replaced for many years.
Avoid hard or extremely chewy foods that can harm your teeth. Also, you might need to replace your fillings at some point because they are prone to decay or cracking.
Inquire About North Miami Beach Restorative Dentistry
Since every cavity is unique, the dental professionals at Danowit Dental will always evaluate the particular circumstance and go over your alternatives. Through routine preventative care examinations, we can find cavities while they're still small and easy to treat. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please get in touch with us!